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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. chest — of your body
  3. cap — a hat
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. track — a song
  6. cap — of ice
  7. march — the month
  8. march — the month
  9. fork — in a road
  10. cap — a lid
  11. firm — decided
  12. track — a path
  13. snap — to click
  14. track — to keep track
  15. chest — a box
  16. chest — of your body
  17. firm — steady
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. pit — in a race
  20. march — music
  21. firm — a company
  22. pit — a hole
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. fork — to eat with

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com